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Formosa Plastics (288), Baton Rouge

LDEQ Accident Report

Accident #94771
State Police #07-0851
Accident Date2007-03-19
Report Date 2007-03-26
Follow-up Date 2007-04-24
Follow-up: Yes

Pollutants Released

Pollutant Duration Point Source Greenhouse Gas Criteria Pollutant Ozone forming chemical Amount of Release
Sodium Hydroxide193.83 h6-inch isolation valve onNONONO537.0 pounds

Accident Classified As: Below Reportable Quantity (BRQ)

Cause of Problem: Seal or Gasket

Formosa was repairing a buried fire water line in the area of the facility that was formerly known as the VCM 1 Unit. As part of the fire water line repair activity, maintenance personnel dug a shallow trench to access a buried pipe. Following digging, liquid was observed in the shallow trench. Near-by storm water sewer line was leaking into the repair trench. Source of the caustic contamination was determined to be from a leaking valve on an upstream caustic header system which drained to this storm sewer.

Discharge Preventable - No Information Given

Notes/Remedial Actions

Formosa is collected and pumped the potentially impacted liquids from the trench for an on-site recovery. Contamination in the trench was recovered and neutralized. The area was blocked in an the job was shut down. Additional excavation was necessary to determine that the source of this leak was a near-by storm water sewer line which was leaking into the repair trench. The source was isolated and the contamination was recovered as much as possible from the sewer system and trench.